


Star Wars: Knights of the old republic - Contract of vengeance Part 1

by KOTOR_crazy



Series: Contract of Vengance [1]
Category: Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic
Genre: Cerka Corp, Curelty, Desert Recon, Hate, Kindness, Love, Paramilitary, Peace, Sand People, Tatooine, Tusken Raiders - Freeform, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-03
Updated: 2015-12-03
Packaged: 2018-05-02 20:46:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5262983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KOTOR_crazy/pseuds/KOTOR_crazy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A covert scouting party must enter a desert world of hotness and death to retrieve information that will help the Republic destroy a weapon of infinite destruction.</p>
<p>PDF version<br/>https://www.dropbox.com/s/qh9jik6xx1db50e/SW_KOTOR_ContractOfVengeance.pdf?dl=0</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [erunamiryene](https://archiveofourown.org/users/erunamiryene/gifts), [NightFaeChild9](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightFaeChild9/gifts), [rprambles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rprambles/gifts).



At 08:30 Tatooine Standard time, Vanesa and Carth gathered at least 6 flimsy Plasteel chairs that they’d brought from the Cerka Store and lined them in the main hold. By 09:45 everyone had gathered.

Bastila was the only one to sit in a cross footed position, while Vanesa reviewed the situation solution on her Datapad, half asleep. Carth chuckled a bit to that.

Vanesa smiled slightly in turn and started to unknowingly close her eyes. By the time she opened them everyone had already sat. “Sorry guys,” she rubbed her eyes yawning, “didn’t get much sleep.” She sniffed involuntary “OK first up I’d like to point out if I haven’t already that no one is to ever mention the word Star Map. Yes guys the rumours are true, Cerka is in bed with the Sith.”

There was a cry of disproval amongst Mission, Zaalbar and Bastila and Juhani, except for Canderous who was trying to look at Juhani’s new orange shorts coolly from behind without attracting any notice. _So un-Jedi like to wear those._ He thought smiling slightly to himself. She’d waxed off all her original fur so she looked much smoother to him.

Though he was doubtful, Juhani would just let a Mandalorian in her door, not immediately of course. _Time’s my ally tonight_ , he thought watching her slim Cathar figure. _Doesn’t know what she’s missing yet._

“Anyhow” Vanesa continued, “we have to be very careful with the information we divulge here, alright? Cerka might already know about the map and I’m not certain they’ll just share its location with just anyone.”

Juhani put her hand up.

“Yes?” Vanesa Asked.

“The docking officer said the ore is too substandard. Could it be they’re just here to guard the maps?”

Zaalbar’s Wookiee tongue second that, “They’ve also sized Kashyyyk”.

“Look”, Carth interjected “We can’t just go over all these assumptions, right now, there’s still a lot we don’t know a galaxy about.”

“Carth is right,” Bastila crossed her arms. “We need to gather as much info as possible until we even know whether the Star Map is bobby trapped or where it even is.”

“That’s” Vanesa pointed at everyone “why we never say star map, so basically when we ask around, we say the words artefacts, ruins or relics. Yeah?” Everyone nodded. “Good. Now-

“What about my brother?” Mission interrupted.

“Sorry kid,” Carth said, “we were getting to that.”

Vanesa continued. “Cerka is othering a contract. Notice how they won’t let anybody out because of the liability thing? Well, this contract will ensure we can go out and look for the map. But it’s quite dangerous and we don’t have all the equipment to go out there by ourselves.”

“Essentially Cerka want to send a message. Take out the Sand People chief in the dunes south of Anchorhead, and take home 1000 credits. First though they want us to escort one of the sand crawlers out near town a bit and defend against sand people for the next 2 days.”

“We’ll get relieved by a Cerka Security group that should touch down hopefully by then. That’s right guys. 2 days of nothing but a waiting game. We should be good to go after that. The company have lost a lot of employees out there so they’ll need security 24/7.

Juhani asked “What’s the death toll?”

Vanesa gulped. “Somewhere in the dozens, I’m sorry I didn’t ask and knowing it wouldn’t change anything. However because we’re a small group, Cerka are promising extra equipment for this job, 2 enclosed land speeders with mounted heavy repeating turrets.”

Canderous asked, “We get air support?”

Carth shook his head, “Heh, you kidding? Cerka doesn’t even have a company ship stationed here.”

“Easy, guys” Vanesa got between the conversation. “We’ll use our surveillance droid. It’s got night vision and yes we get to control it. T3-M4 will handle that.” The Astromech droid beeped approvingly from his usual spot. “Candours, you’ll be handling one of the turrets, Zaalbar has got the other. That means we’ll split into 2 groups, I’ve got the first. Bastila as expected has got the second vehicle.

She looked at Juhani, “Can you drive?” Juhani nodded. “Good then you T3-M4 and Canderous are with me. As leaders it’s easier if Bastila and I don’t drive, we have less to focus on then.

Carth asked “I’m driving the other vehicle?”

“Wouldn’t mind, you’re a starship pilot after all, right? Should be a cake walk to drive.”

“So I go with Carth?” Mission asked to which Vanesa nodded.

Canderous asked “And when we find this Sand People camp?”

“Yeah, eh.” She began to think. “Mission is good with a rifle and I guess Canderous, you’ve lead people, right? You’d use holoscopes for observation now and again so, you could be a spotter?”

“Why me,” Canderous frowned slightly. “I prefer my heavy repeater. Plus…” he nodded at her. “You did say I was on the turret.”

Zaalbar sighed gruffly. “I’ll do it.”

“Ok,” Vanesa was satisfied. “Mission will wait until we start firing. Meaning we’ll go quiet, use melee weapons, anything that doesn’t make a sound. Hopefully we can find the chief quick. I haven’t taken the contract yet but tomorrow we’ll start. Can’t waste any more time today.”

She noticed mission was just shaking her head at the whole thing. “What’s wrong? It’s about your brother right. We’ll bust him out.”

“It’s not just that…” she held hands open as she began “Your plan seems to be like to- to just bowl through the south to the Sand People enclave and shoot up everything including the chief? Aren’t you a Jedi?!”

Vanesa sighed. “What would you have me do, Hmm? I just go up and say nicely for them to stop shooting up Cerka miners.”

“But, my brother. If he’s alive won’t he get killed in the cross fire?” Zaalbar backed her up “She’s right, Vanesa. No one seems to be talking with the sand people.”

Vanesa reflected on it all for a moment. _Yeah too bad to sand people don’t speak Basic._ Silently she paced slowly sweepingly to the main hold kitchen system, and leaned against the exteriors. Mission just waited desperately, while Vanesa closed her eyes and thought with a deep focus about all the responsibilities that lay upon her.

That’s when Carth suddenly looked at Zaalbar. “The Duros!”

“What Duros?” Bastila frowned.      

Vanesa open her eyes, “That’s right! There was a Duros at the Cerka administration. He went on about a translation droid we could get our hands on. It’s up for sale by Yuka…something”

“Yuka Luka,” Carth asked?  
“Yeah! Oh. Damn…” she yawned again. “So, if we find that Droid and if it speaks Sand People, then we can potentially negotiate. We’ll probably have to disguise ourselves before-hand though.”

“That’s all well and good” Canderous slyly agreed, “but it doesn’t get us any closer to the maps.”

“I know.” Vanesa Sighed, “I’ll have to sleep on it. If you guys can ask around without saying star map then go for it. Bastila, you deal with it now, I’m off to bed. See ya.” She walked to the port dorms.

Everyone laughed and some waved, including Bastila who sprang up, turned attentively to everyone in her gleaming boots that Mission couldn’t stop admiring. “Now, everyone should go out briefly, and stay in pairs, yes? You two.” She pointed at Canderous and then Juhani.

“You did well cleaning up the dishes last night, so it’s only fair you receive a good break. Go out for a bit if you want, alright. Meanwhile you two” she looked at Mission and Zaalbar “Can you please keep searching around Anchorhead for some info on the Star Map? Good. Me and Carth will look for this man, this… Yaka… Laka”

“Yuka Luka,” Carth sighed.

“Oh alright, Yuka Luka. Ok nice, that’s all crew. Off you go.” She ordered them. Canderous watched Juhani dreamingly as she got up obliviously to him in those short tight shorts plus the dark singlet and padded off to the starboard dormitory.

He glanced briefly at Mission and Zaalbar as they talked in a corner, then he turned back to the Cathar. She was still wearing the same boots from the Dantooine Enclave. Suddenly she stopped in the corridor leaned a hand on the left wall and turned her waist to him and smiled. She knew.

It made Canderous lick the back of his teeth. _Maybe she does know what she wants._ He watched her turn, walk into the dorms and then that was the moment he decided to get up and follow. Zaalbar and Mission began to argue about something.

Her Wookiee friend quickly deescalated whatever it was with a pat on Mission’s back and told her “not to take too long, we’re going soon”. Mission then went past Canderous to starboard.

“Excuse me, Candy.”

“Candy? Ha!” He liked that one. Kid had some spunk. Probably more spine then the exchange goons he’d worked with. He saw Juhani come out again, deliberately slow with a bag on her shoulder and press the loading bay button. He knew where she going.  


Before all last night’s dishes she’d mentioned to everyone at dinner how hot it was and how it would be good to go for a swim at _A thousand fountains_ _gym._ He knew the place.

 

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

**Vanesa had already** thrown her lightsabre on the rack andwas by now under the blanket half asleep. She so needed it. Next time she was going to break up the plan into smaller pieces and let Carth and Bastila work on all the subtasks of the main phase she’d laid out.

It was exhausting doing all the planning her-self. It was crazy. It was- it was… she yawned. And started too slowly empty her thoughts involuntary.

She began to hear footsteps from so many times over. Suddenly they stopped at a distance. Mission probably had something to say but was too young to find the words, fair enough. Helping a small group out on a perilous scouting mission at 15 years of age would be hard.

Vanessa still wondered if it was a good idea to bring her. Too bad about the Wookie life-debt.

“Speak mission.” She yawned. There was no answer.

A hideous voice in her ear said, “I’m not her…”

Her eyes darted open frightfully to find this face that belonged to a scrawny cadaverous figure, a hooded and half-masked tattooed face with feral raging eyes. Immediately she tried to knock her enemy’s teeth out but couldn’t move.

The dark Jedi had put her under a paralysing spell. Cold sweat began to ooze out her like a hundred developing eyes. There was no time to waste, so he ignited his lightsabre, without any noise. It was like she was deaf. He must’ve be using the force on her hearing too.

Her eyes become two twin frightened spheres of panic.

_No._

Red light gushed out of his weapon like blood and with a turn of his heel the scrawny figure gracefully and soundlessly struck the beam down at her forever, forever, forever. 

Vanesa’s eyes opened thrusting her hands bestially around Mission’s neck, choking her.

“You were having a nightmare!!” Mission chocked “STOP!”

She let go of her. There was a roaring pain searing through her brain while Mission collapsed on the floor and began coughing for breath. Vanesa was angry at her, while clutching her head. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!” The pain didn’t stop.

“I’m sorry.”

She was about to forgive when a bright grainy image of the cadaverous dark Jedi seared into her brain with a white slash for only half a second, and vanished with the pain as suddenly as it had begun. Something wasn’t right. She began breathing heavily hands on her thighs, “What do you want, Mission.”

“I was wondering…” mission coughed “rather than just go at the sand people enclave, can we use the surveillance droid beforehand? You know, see who’s there, work out the best approach and everything.”

“Yes.” Vanesa wiped the cold sweat off her forehead. “That’s a good idea. Anything else.”

“What if we can’t pull it off and retreat back to Anchorhead with wasted ammo, ruined vehicles? Isn’t this where Cerka will want us to cover their costs.”

Vanesa shook her head without taking her eyes of her. “Ha… You’re smart. Ok, kid part of the deal was… well.”

Mission got up slowly giving her this quizzingly impatient look.

Vanesa blew out some air “Well basically…” she suppressed a gulp. “Cerka can take our ship and-”

“WHAT!?”

“Just hang on, kid we can do this. They just want some form of collateral.” Mission got up and turned her back with arms crossed. “Mission, we’ll have enough to make it back to Dantooine by shuttle if we have to.”

Mission paused for a moment. “They just take the Ebon Hawk. That’s it? You’re going to just put your faith on a paramilitary weapons industry that makes billions out of killing people.” She turned to her. “Have you checked the holo news?”

“It’s like I told you. They’re in bed with the Sith. But they can’t just fork out on their contracts if we succeed. Otherwise they lose trust on the goon market. So no, they’ll get nothing else. All the gear on this thing is ours”

“And you didn’t want to tell us.”

“Look I’m sorry for grabbing you before, but I’m not stopping you from walking out of this. I’m sure you’ll have the wisdom to keep your mouth shut. Don’t you want to find your brother?” Vanesa got up and paced to the back wall.

Mission didn’t say anything more about the matter. Though she hadn’t ever seen the savagery like what was on her face 2 minutes ago. “What was up with that nightmare?”

Vanesa nodded to herself and scratched her nose, it was quite a bad one. Then she stopped for a second, gasped and suddenly turned to Mission realizing that the nightmare could be a reality at any second. “It felt so real, though. Yeah… yeah Master Zhar said to me ‘when you feel a strong pain and see something bad’, then it’s likely a disturbance.”

“Likely? Wh- what did you see?”

Vanesa stared at her blankly “There’s a Dark Jedi close by.”


	2. The Weakness Of Overuse

**Canderous had already** paid the _A_ _thousand fountains_ _gym_ registerand saw Juhani just a second before she flew off a platform into the lap pool. He gasped. Was she naked? He didn’t see her with a swim suit on. He didn’t want _that_ kind of woman. Unless it was only with him of course and he could do it with her too. But he was already here, so oh well.

He took the steps down to the men’s room to change as she did a couple of laps. When he came back up he was wearing some swim shorts, loosely against his visible strong legs.

His broad shoulder frame was visibly solid and magnificent, silhouetted against the glass casing of a huge amount of residential market activity behind him. His tattooed arms were classically firm to the softest touch like Durasteel, typical of most Mandalorian physics.

Canderous put his things down on one of the benches where Juhani’s bag was. Then he watched and swaggered arrogantly in line with her as she swam. Yes, perhaps she was wearing something. He could just make out her one piece swim suit, almost the same colour as her skin. It was good to see she’d waxed off all that Cathar fur from her back. It made her more smoothly feminine without that ugliness.

Eventually he rounded a corner and went to her swimming lane. When she started coming back from her next lap, he crouched down on both feet asking tonelessly “Are you having a nice time, my feline friend?”

Juhani coly stopped and rubbed the water out of her eyes. “It depends” She slightly grinned, paddling a bit, “do you like what you see – around here?”

Her eyes were holding his. He only just managed to say “better than Dantooine I think,” hoping that this was her invitation to take the conversation to the next level. There was much to discuss, with his body and her body together, _forever!_

“What?” Juhani laughed. “What’s so funny?”

Canderous paused “Before I met you, I tried hitting on the other Jedi women when I was at the Enclave.”

“Let me guess.” She paddled to the ledge and rested her elbows on it. “They brush you off… all uptight spiritually above outsiders… chanting our illustrious Jedi Code at you?”

“Ha! I’m impressed,” He slowly nodded at her leeringly “Already on our first voyage and I’m expecting this closed up secretly insecure person. You change fast, girl. Maybe coming on this trip is giving you some inner strength, eh?”

“Ahh, yes. Mandalorian philosophy.”

“Huh? Naa… there’s no philosophers kings amongst us. Only warriors.”

She raised her eyebrows.  

“What?”

She licked her wet lips quickly. “You hit on Jedi women because you know most are insecure, yes?”

He was liking this Cathar woman more, “You do know what people are like”. He squinted evilly “Don’t you. But you Cathar, you’re different.”

She laughed. “Different?” she paddled her legs teasingly behind her so he could see the rest of her. “As in more open less uptight, more vulnerable.”

“Uh… everything except vulnerability. You know us. We don’t take weakness. I know you’re not weak, girl. I’d hate to see you that way.” He watched her legs paddling behind curvaceously, following the smoothness coming all the way back over her smooth thighs to her swim suit holding her body. “So, why did you really come with us, Juhani?”

“It was a duty.” She whispered. “I have debts to repay.”

“Ok then.” He was drawn into the fabric of her suit. She was still doing that thing with her legs knowing Canderous was enjoying it. His large lips smiled at her and slowly he got up from his squatting. “You’re all relaxed to make some money on the Cerka contract tomorrow?”

She gazed breathlessly up at his sculptured broad frame, and felt a shudder inside, then she brought her Jedi coolness back before saying “Tatooine isn’t Taris, Canderous.”

“And, so what?”

“And, there’s plenty of ways to die outside Anchorhead’s walls; heatstroke, Wraid, these rumours about Kyrat Dragons. This world has some of the most dangerous predators. And these sand people, are masters of hit and run attacks.”

He raised his eyebrows at her evilly, “You’re lucky I’m here for you, honey. _And_ in the same vehicle once we go out. I live for this stuff.”

She snorted with a smile, “Arrogance is your virtue but I’ve learned it can destroy _thee!_ For example,” she poised herself and bolted away from the ledge a bit before stopping away from him.

Canderous smirked slowly, “Is this where you show me guidance in the error of my ways, Master?”

Juhani looked around her quickly “Uh-huh.” She raised her eyebrows mockingly. “Watch and learn from my great teachings.” She took a deep breath and spread her arms out.

She shimmered briefly before her body started to soar out of the deep pool gently by itself, until her feet were just above the water, on top of it.

Canderous blinked, gapping a bit. How could he not? Water was draping down her back and her silky wet swim suit the same colour as she, making her seemingly naked from a distance. The water was all dripping down her naked legs to the water.

She could actually walk on water. Canderous obviously had hadn’t seen a Jedi do that before. Juhani opened her mouth smiling, put her hands on her hips and slowly breathed out, at the same time as her hair became all wavy like she was still floating under water.

She looked so graceful and free, as the air around her body became hollow and her feet slowly detached from the surface water a bit. Her legs glided motionlessly on the spot, her feet stroking the water slowly. The hollow air carried her gently and her swim suit as she continued “walking”, stirring Cancerous up merely with her effortless footfalls.

Then quickly she pointed her feet delicately down and poising her hands above her head as she slowly stroked one arm down over the other luxuriously, stirring him up even more, making him breathless for her. Then the air stopped becoming hollow and her feet touched on the water again as her hair stopped becoming wavy. It was probably one of the most beautiful things Canderous saw.

Juhani breathed out again, enjoying the attention. “Ok, in regards to your arrogance this is how you walk.” She stuck her bum out, bending a bit with her legs outwards as she waddled quickly up to him, making fun of his swagger.

“And _this!_ This is how I walk,” she explained turning away and walking with her naked legs causally together. She quickly looked back at him teasingly, “Stay!”

He looked away, smiling and squinting, mouth open, then he looked back again at her. Was she for real?

Juhani ran on water effortlessly all the way up to the high plank stairs as she climbed them. When she got all the way to the top she called, hands near her mouth. “Get ready to catch me! I shall do a Force Jump!”

She infused herself with the force jumping power that Jedi Guardians had honed in on for years.

“What!?” Canderous yelled “JUHANI NO!!”

He was too late as Juhani in slow motion ran pumping resolutely for it, and as she got to the ledge she Force Jumped off the plank, and then she soared across the air. A panic stricken Canderous was getting ready to catch her, staying where he was. Finally after what appeared to be almost 40 meters, she began to fall, coming closer and closer.

Then she slowed down. Just like that she started to fall more softly, in front of him.

Canderous shook his head up at her. “The goddess almighty, come on down!”

Her arms stretched out as she drew them up and down gracefully at him, “Should I stop?” She said drunkenly, falling like a star.

“NO, no, no, don’t stop in mid-air, honey. Just come closer” he held his arms out for her to fall into.

 She fell closer “what if I only make you watch?”

“Juhani…”

“Something you _aren’t_ -allowed-to-touch?” She drunkenly purred the last word out at him, stressing the _c_ and the _h_ together.

“I won’t be your friend anymore.”

She drunkenly grinned, as Canderous’s arms felt her come slowly in and flow down into his arms.

Only until her slim chest was in his arms and her face level with his that his arms were locked over her with her feet still dangling off the ground.

She felt totally overwhelmed as he squeezed his mouth against hers breathlessly. After a time they parted, and Juhani breathed out at him happily holding her arms around his neck. “That was exhausting!” 

“Eh!” he whispered, “I’m too much for you to handle now?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve used the force too much. Come on, take me to the benches.” She breathed out with difficulty as he walked, “Now, don’t hold me too tight.” She locked her eyes with his breathlessly, “Otherwise I might disappear.”

“Heh, heh but you’re too tired to use the force for that.” But all the same he eased his grasp on her a bit anyway. And at last he settled her down on the bench.

Juhani breathed out a sigh and crossed her legs attempting to meditate. “Phew!” She shook her purple hair out as Canderous sat near her, he liked that.

He nodded to himself “I thought you’d float up there a while, and make me wait. You know Mandalorians aren’t that patient, girl.”

Her eyes were still closed, “You would have enjoyed it.”

“Well…” he tried not to laugh.

“You’d have fainted. _That’s_ why I stopped myself _._ Besides I can’t do it.”

“Eh?” He frowned, “how come you could do that thing in the pool, earlier.”

“It’s not really me but the water that’s doing it all. Because water is a polymolecule? And the positivity and exudes against my negativity,” She sighed eyes still closed, “I trust I make me self, ambiguous?”

“Oh yeah, I did physics but I’m not really devoted.”

“Ok, uh… water I guess reacts to electrical charges.”

“So if I stick a Bothtan Stunner  in the poly…molly… pool while Darth Malak takes a swim, I’d be giving him a little charge?”

“What?” She opened her eyes and shook her head at him. “Where do you get these ideas from?”

“You’re right, it’s a bad joke. Continue.”

She closed her eyes again chuckling a bit. “Ok, because polymolecules respond to electricity, it would imply that the force energy emanating from under my body will react to it too.”

“Like the Repulsorlift of a land speeder?”

“Yes, similar. So polymolecules, or water can have their own hydrogens at least 2-

“Juhani…”

“Hang on I’m getting to the good part.” He tried hard to understand as she explained to him how creatures like him and her were at least 60 percent composed of water, and because of that, people could react to water too in a physical manner.

From Canderous’s view point of her explanation, it was apparent that the force could help create a negative electricity that would flow out of one’s body and reject the positive energy emanating from the water.

When she finished she hadn’t heard anything. “So, there is a bonding here,” she continued, “ _and_ this bond will stop my feet from penetrating the water, I simply float above. The negative energy is too much for the positive current in the water to penetrate.”

“Ahhh, ok. I think I understand.”

“I did my best.”

“The water is the positive part of the bond, your force energy is the negative.” He nodded. There was silence as Canderous pondered about her knowledge for about 30 seconds. Then he turned to her “I didn’t know physics had such an appeal to you.”

“Master Vrook had to teach us physics lessons about water before we could even walk on it. We had to get at least 75 percent correct.”

“And if you failed. You wouldn’t get to try?”

“Yes.”

“Brutal, I like.”

“Canderous, the amount of people who failed at physics, 90 percent of them couldn’t walk on water. Vrook didn’t do it to punish anyone.”

“Yep, Vrook the softy.”

Juhani snorted. “Anyway, there was this guy, he uh… he’d failed his Jedi training a few years ago.”

“Tragic.” Canderous said coolly.

“But he was so close!” Juhani sighed. “He’d taught a lot of the girls’ synchronised swimming. Made some good money out of being a coach. His team came first once at some intergalactic synchronised swimming completion on Alderaan. And that’s not all… he is the second person to travel almost a whole orbit across the surface of Manaan to break the Intergalactic record for walking on water.”

Canderous couldn’t believe a failed Jedi, full of weakness could be her teacher, “and he taught you how to water walk?”

“Yes. He taught us all.” Canderous was a bit surprised that they would let a failed Jedi be her teacher, because back in his clan… “We,” Juhani interrupted his thoughts, “eventually had to hold hands and walk across a swimming pool, so we could support each other as a team and feel each other’s force power that was filtering out the negative current.”

“Didn’t the weak ever slow you down, girl?”

“Nope,” she giggled “You can always play nice to get what you need in life, Canderous”.

“Ha, I wished that was true.”

“Well, in any case, it made me do some synchronised swimming!”

“Ah, so that’s why…”

“Yes that’s why I’m so hypnotically graceful for you.”

Canderous chuckled to that, “So he made a lot from failing his training. He profited from the Order.”

“It wasn’t all for gain, many Jedi or failed Jedi who could walk on water became volunteers for search and rescue groups. Sure saves a lot of people.”

“Did it ever kill anyone?”

“I hope not.”

“Juhani,” Canderous bit his lip before choosing his words carefully “Have you ever killed anyone?”

Juhani opened her eyes and looked him for a moment, “No.”

He’d suspected as much. Usually if it was a Mandalorian greenhorn recruit he would have nodded his head off to Canderous like some Iridonian serial killer. But Juhani wasn’t a Mandalorian. Her temperament was young and naïve. It didn’t surprise him, “You are… aware, then when you walk on water next time that it might not be for humanitarian reasons?”

She looked away at him and nodded slowly.

It was time for Canderous to come closer to her and put an arm around her shoulder. “Ok” he whispered, “how does that make you feel.”

Slowly she met his eyes, “I’m not afraid to kill, Canderous. I-just-don’t want to make it personal.”

“You’re trained not to make it personal… but, when our lives are in danger-

“I won’t hesitate. I promise.” Her eyes never left his unblinkingly. “I know what’s at stake. But know this, if they surrender then we take them prisoner. You have to understand, I’m not like you.”

“Ok,” he nodded at her and then got up from the benches and stretched. “I’m gonna swim. See you in a bit.”

 

 

Later Canderous came back dripping wet. He picked his bag up and they both got changed. When he came back in his usual red vest, beige pants and black shirt still carrying his bag. He found Juhani meditating, eyes closed near her last position on the same bench.

Only she’d already dressed in the same singlet and those tight orange shorts he liked to see on her. He walked up to her slowly taking in her slim supple waist compressed in those shorts, and her legs bound in the same boots. When he stopped and sat down next to her he asked, “Still recharging, girl.”

“Yes.”

“Do you need to?”

“If you want to see what else I can do, then, you must have patience...”

Canderous grunted.

“Do you wish me to sing you a sweet song?”

“Wait.” Canderous grinned at her disbelievingly, “you can actually sing?”

She gave him a “no” answer. Typical sarcasm, he loved it. Resting on an elbow he watched her, admirably. She was more interesting then he first fathomed. He hadn’t thought much of the Cathar in the past.

He saw them as another defenceless people who didn’t know much in how to develop a beaming society with its own fleet, medical centres, education, commerce and all the things that make an empire great and infinite, even after its death.

He’d been waiting for something though. It was something he’d wanted to get out with his past. Juhani hadn’t brought it up yet but he knew sooner or later it would come up.

He knew deep down it might as well be now. If they were to trust and have each other’s backs out there in the dunes then they needed to be comfortable with each other’s pasts. He was about to ask but then hesitated and looked down ashamed.

The fist he was leaning on and his eyes were both closed. A sigh out of his nose and slowly he opened both eyes and fist. “I want to know, why? Why do you tolerate me?”

“What do you mean?” Juhani asked calmly.

“You know what I mean, you know who I was, what I was apart of.”

“You weren’t at Cathar, weren’t you?” It was more of a statement than a question, Juhani already knew.

“Absolutely not!” He turned at her “I wouldn’t have spoken to you at all otherwise. But… I…” he hesitated again with a clenched fist, “I heard about Cathar, you have my apologies, the Mandalorian leader there went too far-

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she took a deep breath. “I’m not ready.”

“Then I’ll say only say this.” He wasn’t going to let her end the conversation now. They had to finish this before they got out into the dunes. This couldn’t afford to come up as things got worse. Because he knew that they would, sooner or later. “If I were Cassus Fett, I’d have done things differently.”

“You apologize to me?” she asked without the slightest hint of hate in her voice, “but you’d have still invaded Cathar?”

“Yes, however I wouldn’t have snuck up on the Cathar and wiped out the civilians, taken the rest as slaves. I’d have surrounded the planet and give their soldiers, _only_ the soldiers 3 hours to go out and defeat us.”

“And so you’d have still killed people anyway?”

“Yes, I’ve already said this to Vanesa and I’ll say it to you too. I don’t battle for blood, Juhani! Only for challenge… and the glory of surviving the enemy’s attacks.”

“And after the challenge is over and most of the unarmed and helpless are dead?”

“I stop civilian casualties wherever possible. Anyway once the enemy fleet is defeated-

Juhani laughed. He knew that she knew it wasn’t like that, since most casualties in conflicts are civilian.

He continued anyhow “Once it’s all over, we strip whatever valuables and resources we find useful to keep our own world rich and prosperous. Yes slavery is, was alive in the clans. It would be impossible to stop however but there are ways in reducing it.”

“So you’re rewarded with robbery only. You’d take all the food too?”

“Absolutely not. You think I want to starve everyone out? No, we don’t kill anyone after victory. They’d have nothing to contribute to us. In fact, some of the worlds we conquered were so primitively archaic that we just pulled out all together.”  

Juhani hadn’t said anything still meditating.

Canderous studied her quizzingly “You’re hard to read, girl.”

“I was thinking. When you do pose to the enemy to come out and fight, does it work?”

“No. Most armies will take cover in towns and fortify them, whilst they teem with civilians. That’s right girl. They’ll just use every non-armed man, woman, and child as another shield. Those armies repulse me.” He said coldly. “The people don’t deserve their cowardice. They should be exterminated for those sins! It’s a war crime!”

“So that’s why you despise weakness so much.”

Canderous stammered a bit at her. She wasn’t even surprised at anything he said here. She seemed to know more about the Mandalorian methods than many other outsiders he met. It was obvious she’d studied history a bit and knew much about the way Mandalorian behaved. From the way Canderous saw it, Juhani was simply getting a second opinion.

Maybe she was looking for answers to all the butchering of her world. Why people could turn so mean so easily, it was simple. Vengeance. Canderous just didn’t have the heart to tell her how much tension there’d been in the past between his people and her’s when the Cathar helped the Republic defeat Exar Kun’s Mandalorian proxies 40 years ago.

Canderous knew nothing could justify what happened at Cathar anyway. And why would he attempt to? It would be like defending the honour of serial killers and the local town rapist.

But he did want to justify the other victories of his by saying how if it hadn’t been the Mandalorians that started the fight, then it would have been someone else. In this case the Sith. And that the aftermath of such would force a community to be more defensive and not to later get complacent of how fragile their position is in the galaxy. How the strong always survive and how the weak crumble because of their complacency. But he felt Juhani had already made up her mind. Most people he met didn’t care either way because it had simply not happened to them yet. It didn’t matter anymore.

She still hadn’t said much. _Meditation must really stop you from getting edgy_ , he thought. It was kind of like she was getting high on spice. But in a nice way. Eventually she started. “You asked why I tolerated you? It’s because you and I are more identical than you may wish to cogitate.”

“Eh,” he frowned, “In what way?”

“Suffering.” She said sadly.

Canderous looked down. It was true, he had suffered too. His wife had wanted him to become Mandolor and unite the scattered clans. But all he had seen had made him tired of the conquest. There didn’t appear to be any reason to continue to start off and do the same thing again. And so he’d left her to survive and find another man that would do it for her. He was too old for it now.

Juhani laid it out to him in brute bluntness, “We both come from dying cultures, Canderous.”

The truth filled him with the same pain that had never truly left him, and never would.

Juhani knew he wanted the truth though. “You are the only person in our group who knows what it feels like.” She opened her eyes and looked at him carefully. He just wouldn’t open up to her. She knew why – Mandalorian pride. Pride that could never admit that his whole culture was rotting away.

He was shutting down into a vast void of despair. She knew he didn’t want to admit that most of his people had turned into hired muscle and thugs. How they hadn’t ascended above that and become something more. Her people were much the same. Intellectualism and scholarism wasn’t in their nature either. More shaman and warrior-like they were.

But still … adaption was possible. He was still shutting down. Slowly Juhani shifted herself across the bench and got close to him. “Hey,” she touched his shoulder, “Canderous?”

He said nothing, still unresponsive. Just wasted. It was obvious to her that he was all spent. There was just nothing left… he was mumbling to himself. Juhani couldn’t make out what he was saying.

She put herself closer to him trying to make it out. Her amber eyes looked anxiously puzzled.

“ _Vella… I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry._ ” He was statue still, it was like his gods had turned his soul to stone as a penalty for some past subcelestial sin.

She couldn’t see but a tear was flowing shamefully out of his right eye. He didn’t want her to see him, not like this. Not like this. It was weakness and not the spirt of a warrior. It was disgusting for him to have this happen here in front of her.

No one could know of this.

No one.

His void and shame grew stronger and it was so hard for Juhani to bring him out of it. So, slowly she touched him again and felt no hesitation, no violent movements or anything. Even more slowly this time, she put both arms around his wasteful soul and buried the side of her cheek into his back. It took a bit but then she heard a sniff and then Canderous slowly came out of it.

He sighed through his nose again, shamefully. It was a while. And then, “Juhani… I...”

“What,” She took her cheek off his back, “Canderous, speak to me?”

“So the reason you’re drawn to me is because of our pasts.”

“Yes. Of course.”

He looked behind at her for a moment and slowly he began to smile, “You’re a good liar.”

“Huh?” she frowned took her arms off him and crossed them. “Where do you get these silly things from?”

“Your legs.”

“What!?” She gasped and smacked his thigh and got up.

“Ow! Hey, watch it feline,” he eyed her tight waist “I got scares you know!” He looked down and massaged his thigh quickly and looked back up at her.

She wasn’t there anymore. It was like she’d never existed at all. Evil was walking closer.


	3. Incursion

**He looked around** him anxiously. It wasn’t possible. “Juhani?” he looked under the bench. She wasn’t there either. He sat back down for a moment taking it all in. He turned his commlink on, but there was no signal. Low battery? Did Taris even blow up? Was he here because of a scouting mission for some ancient maps? Did he really dream it all up? He looked for Juhani’s bag.

It was still there.

A voice lazily said, “Boo.” He was stupefied, looking to find her suddenly leaning out on the bench at least 2 second after he’d looked away. He breathed out again, “What the hell you do that for?”

“You were out of line.” She teased him. He liked it when she punished him like that. He laughed raised his head . When he looked back down she wasn’t there anymore, whilst in his left ear she said, “Do you like…” as he looked left she’d already disappeared.

2 seconds later a voice in his right ear continued, “…what you see?”

He didn’t even look at her. He knew she’d already show off her new magic trick, again and vanish. But when he looked right she was still there, raising her eyebrows up and down at him.

“Ok knock it. Don’t you know weakness is an overuse?”

She simply took her bag and put it around her shoulders. “Come on, ‘mando, ‘Cando.”

“Insults” he took his backpack and followed her. “Bastila did this with me too. One day Cathar, girl I’ll have to pull your tongue out a bit and see how you’d insult me then.”

She laughingly said, “I wish ye luck, ‘mando, ‘Cando.”

They were almost out the front,

“I think I prefer mando commando.” 

She liked that one, “hmm, I’ll think about it.”

Canderous suddenly remembered “By the way, Juhani got any batteries. My commlink is down.”

“Already? We just tested ours this morning, how can that happen.” She sighed “Ok we’ll get some from the space port merchant.” They went out from the front into the open.

A device was being pointed their way by a cloaked cadaverous creature.

 

                                               ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

 

“All units, this is Victor Four One, report status, over.” Vanesa couldn’t use any of the crew’s names in the Ebon Hawk’s comm’s room or over any communication devices. They could never really use their real name’s while on the comms. She only had her jump suit on, a singlet and long pants. She was barefoot.

 _“Roaaah?”_ Zallbarcrackled online. She tried to understand his Wookiee Shyriiwook but it was broken because of the static.

She took a deep breath “Say again, please, over.”

There was a 4 second pause, “ _Zabrak Four Two here. We’re fine, receiving you. Copy?”_ Zaalbar asked.

“Affirmative.”

“ _Beta Four Three,”_ Bastila’s voice crackled to life, _“we read you Victor, status green, over._ ”

“Is Charlie Four Four with you, Beta?”

 _“Affirmative.”_ Carth was ok.

“Good, Zabrak Four Five, is Mike Four Six present with you?”

“ _Affirmative_ ” Zaalbar replied. He would have told Vanesa if Mission was in danger.

“Jawa Four Seven?” she asked Juhani, “are you there, radio check!”

There was a hiss of static, otherwise there was nothing.

“Jawa Four Seven, please pick up. Now!”

Again there was no response.

Vanesa cursed, “Conquest Four Eight, are you receiving, over?”

Canderous wasn’t responding either. This was not good. Something bad was happening.

Bastila crackled in, _“Victor Four One, I feel something. Something’s not right here, over.”_

“You said it, advise, possible Dark Jedi may be in the vicinity. PULL OUT TO BASE, ASAP! OUT!”

Zaalbar came online “ _Grraww roger, Zabrak and Mike are mobile, falling back now. Out._ ”

Bastila came after. She knew anyone with a call sign digit lower than her could go first, “ _Beta and Charlie_ _copies Zabrak’s last, Victor. Out.”_

Vanesa drummed her fingers on the communication computer desk, thinking hard. At last she decided to hit the recording button on the comm. “J Four Seven and C Four Eight, advise; this is a playback loop, fall back to base! Dark Jedi may be in your vicinity, over!”

She hit the recording button off and had it playback to the communication computer so it would broadcast to Canderous and Juhani’s channel only.

“T3” she turned to the droid, “tell me when they pick up, ok!”

T3-M4 acknowledged and plugged into the computer, standing by.

Vanesa got up from her seat, and breathed out a sigh of helpless frustration and went outside the comms room. She sunk her head and hands into the wall. Her whole team was out there and there was nothing more she could do.

She sighed and got up, proceeded to the main hold and took a left to starboard. When she got to the loading ramp she found it was closed. Good. Nothing could get in. The whole ship was locked down. 

A rustling coming up behind her. She ignited her lightsabre, turning immediately. _Vvvzzzzummmmmm!_ She didn’t see anything. “Who’s there!” She looked around, “Show your-self!”

She heard rustling around the corner she’d came from, leading to the main hold. Slowly Vanesa positioned her weapon into a familiar Resilience Form, the _Soresu._ The weapon was poised in front of her, pointing vertically to the ceiling. Carefully she moved around the corner with her Lightsaber in a defensive position. She wasn’t sure if the intruder had a lightsabre or a blaster.

Then she suddenly dashed out to her intruder. The passage was empty. There was only the usual hum of the ship’s internals. Slowly she continued to move through the passage. Where did the intruder go! She stood there in the main cargo-hold cautiously, “T3, I need you!” 

The droid came by and beeped a query to her request.

She looked around her. “There may be unwelcomed guests, T3. Did anyone come past you, any noise?”

T3-M4 shook his sensory system at her. She began to sweat more.

“Alright, see that computer there.” She pointed to the main hold central round holographic projection system, “Can you transfer control from that to the cockpit, please?”

T3-M4 acknowledged her, beeping excitedly. He was going to reprogram!  

“Ok do it fast and then lock down the cockpit. Don’t let anything in yet!”

It only took 30 seconds to transfer administrative privileges from the main hold to the cockpit, making it the main server. He then uncoupled himself from the droid receptor port and trundled speedily up to the cockpit, spinning his sensory system around, beeping excitedly. A moment later the cockpit doors locked down.

Quickly but quietly, Vanesa moved towards the port side, her back was to the wall, shifting carefully across. She composed herself as best as possible trying not to panic. The passage leading down to the engine room was coming closer, and closer.

Heart in her mouth, she dashed out furiously staring down the passage.

It was empty.

She heard movement to her right and turned savagely to it. She couldn’t see anything down the port dormitories. Nothing. She felt exposed in this T position with all 3 passages leading to the main hold, except for the cockpit passage that T3 had locked down.

That gave Vanesa an idea. She got away from the sight engine room passage and crouched against the walls, making herself a smaller target. She activated her commlink. “T3, the door leading only to the port dormitory, lock it down, please.”

The port dormitory door sealed its self immediately. She looked behind her briefly and had another idea “Thanks, ok now close the starboard dorm, engine room door, the door leading to the garage and all doors to the main hold except the port door.”

Multiple doors coldly sealed themselves. She could see the starboard passage close behind her and the door leading to the med bay and engine room closed down. She got up and started to converge onto the port side. This was good, it would be harder for the intruder to get out. And it stopped her from taking a gamble and deciding which path she should go down. The intruder couldn’t flank her now.

This time Vanesa didn’t dash around the corner. She slowly stepped one leg out and then the other, feeling the coldness of the ship beneath her bare feet.

The passage leading down past the cargo hold loomed there before her, silent, waiting. The ship’s dark insides continued to hum louder here, for moment like the guts of a living being that she couldn’t get out of. A being who had her in the palm of its claw.

Vanesa took a deep breath and strode down slowly. This part of the passage wasn’t as bright, the shadows becoming darker around her and the blue light from the Lightsaber lit her face up.

A small scrawny rustling sound came around the cargo hold.

Panting and sweating, Vanesa’s felt a tingle in nerves. With her singlet on you could see her moist arms oozing with perspiration.

“T3,” Vanesa whispered into her commlink, “The door just past the cargo-hold, close it, please!”  

A door ahead of her locked down with a cold metal clasping sound. Vanesa’s breathing came more intense and she couldn’t stop it. Anyone nearby could hear her breathing now.

The circular maw of the cargo-hold came closer. Quickly Vanesa looked behind her and then slowly looked back to the cargo hold entrance, staring it down, breathing heavily.

She was all alone now. “This is the Jedi Order, identify and put your hands up, you’re trespassing!”

There was no response.

Her shoulders were heaving up and down, eyes were wide. “Come out, NOW!” she spat. “Don’t make me do this, nickel buck!”

Still there was nothing. Silently she carefully strode in front of the maw.

And came into the body of the cargo-hold. She darted around. There was no one there. But… there was something behind… one of metal boxes, “I see you. Come on, this is childish.”

She couldn’t make it out properly. Maybe there was a scrawny bit of brown? But she’d grown tired of this nonsense “Ok, ok very well.” quickly she force jumped for the figure, lightsabre in front.

A scream almost from inside her tore the air to shreds, echoing.

                                               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

#   

 

 


End file.
